This invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method as well as a providing medium, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus and method as well as a providing medium by which reproduction data can be reproduced in a fixed period.
When an information recording and reproduction apparatus in which an optical disk or a like medium is employed as a recording medium is used to write and reproduce information such as video data inputted thereto, since writing into and reading out from a single recording medium cannot be performed simultaneously, it is a possible idea to store such information into a recording buffer and a reproduction buffer built in the recording and reproduction apparatus and perform recording and reproduction alternately. Such processing as just described is hereinafter referred to as simultaneous recording and reproduction processing.
For example, after recording data are stored into the recording buffer to its full capacity or buffer size, recording processing is started and the recording data stored in the recording buffer are read out and written onto the recording medium. During the writing operation, no reproduction processing is performed. After the recording data stored in the recording buffer are read out until no stored recording data remains in the recording buffer, the recording processing is stopped, and reproduction processing is started.
FIG. 6 schematically illustrates data stored in a reproduction buffer in accordance with simultaneous recording and reproduction processing.
In the data illustrated in FIG. 6, three frames A to C are successively recorded each for a time period Tr, and then after time Tj elapses, two frames D and E are successively stored each for a time period Tr. Further, after time Tw and time Tj elapse, five frames F to J are successively stored. In other words, for a time period Tt, the ten frames A to J are stored into the reproduction buffer.
The time Tr is a time within which reproduction data for one frame are read out from the recording medium, and the time Tj is a time within which the optical pickup moves to a reading position of a frame recorded on a different track.
The time Tw is a time within which recording data are written onto the recording medium, that is, a time within which no reproduction processing is performed. In this instance, when reproduction data for five frames are stored into the recording buffer, then the storage capacity of the recording buffer is fully occupied, and as a result, recording processing is started and reproduction processing is stopped as described above.
FIG. 7 schematically illustrates some other data stored into the reproduction buffer. The data here are data stored in the reproduction buffer in a condition wherein variable speed reproduction is performed during simultaneous recording and reproduction processing.
After time Tj elapses, one frame A is stored within time Tr, and then after time Tj elapses again, the second frame B is stored within time Tr. Thus, the operation of storing one frame within each time Tr after time Tj elapses in this manner is repeated until the frames A to E are stored, and then when time Tw elapses further, the operation of storing one frame within time Tr after time Tj elapses is repeated until next five frames F to J are stored.
The reproduction data stored in the reproduction buffer in such a manner as described above are subsequently subject to processing such as decoding and are displayed as an image on a display unit such as a monitor. Thus, if the reproduction data are reproduced at timings corresponding to such timings as illustrated in FIG. 6 or 7 (at timings at which the individual frames are stored), then, for example, within the time Tw, no reproduction data are outputted for a comparatively long period of time and an image is displayed in a stationary state. Consequently, the conventional simultaneous recording and production processing is disadvantageous in that the user may have an unfamiliar feeling to such a stationary image and feel disagreeable.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus and method as well as a providing medium by which reproduction data can be reproduced in a fixed period.
In order to attain the object described above, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus, comprising first calculation means for calculating a reproduction time per a unit amount of reproduction data from a recording medium, second calculation means for calculating a reproduction data reproduction period for reproducing the reproduction data at fixed intervals based on the reproduction time calculated by the first calculation means, and reproduction means for reproducing the reproduction data based on the reproduction data reproduction period calculated by the second calculation means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method, comprising a first calculation step of calculating a reproduction time per a unit amount of the reproduction data, a second calculation step of calculating a reproduction data reproduction period for reproducing the reproduction data at fixed intervals based on the reproduction time calculated in the first calculation step, and a reproduction step of reproducing the reproduction data based on the reproduction data reproduction period calculated in the second calculation step.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a providing medium which provides a computer-readable program for causing an information processing system to execute a process comprising a first calculation step of calculating a reproduction time per a unit amount of the reproduction data, a second calculation step of calculating a reproduction data reproduction period for reproducing the reproduction data at fixed intervals based on the reproduction time calculated in the first calculation step, and a reproduction step of reproducing the reproduction data based on the reproduction data reproduction period calculated in the second calculation step.
With the information processing apparatus, the information processing method and the providing medium, a reproduction time per unit amount of reproduction data is calculated and a reproduction data reproduction period for reproducing the reproduction data at fixed intervals is calculated based on the thus calculated reproduction time, and then the reproduction data are reproduced based on the thus calculated reproduction data reproduction period. Consequently, the reproduction data can be reproduced at the fixed intervals.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts or elements denoted by like reference symbols.